Best Views in New York City — Scenic Viewpoints You Cannot Miss

Summit One Vanderbilt (2021)

The newest and most dramatic observatory in New York. Three levels of glass-walled viewing at 1,210 feet: the main observation deck, the AIR mirror installation, and SONO — the sound-and-light experience at the top. Book the sunset slot. Tickets from $43; combine with the adjacent MoMA (same building complex) for a full art-and-architecture day.

Top of the Rock, Rockefeller Center

From 850 feet, you see the Empire State Building in the frame — which you cannot get from the Empire State Building's own observation deck. Three tiers of viewing: the open-air top deck is the best. Sunset tickets are the premium slot. Built in 1933, still the most beautiful art deco building in the world.

Brooklyn Bridge Park — Pier 1

Free, open every day. The south end of Pier 1 gives you the Manhattan Bridge and the East River in the foreground, the Empire State Building in the distance. At dusk the lights come on in sequence and the bridge cables light up. Bring a bottle of wine and sit on the grass. This is what New York looks like when it is not trying.

Roosevelt Island — Four Freedoms Park

At the southern tip of Roosevelt Island, Four Freedoms Park (Louis Kahn, 2012) is a granite promontory with views in three directions: Midtown, Lower Manhattan, and the East River. The architecture is as impressive as the views. Take the tramway from 59th and Second Avenue — the only aerial tramway in North America used for regular public transit.

The Edge (Hudson Yards, 2019)

The highest outdoor observation deck in the Western Hemisphere, at 1,131 feet. The glass floor is the headline — you stand on transparent glass and look straight down. The angled glass parapets give you unobstructed 360-degree views. Tickets from $36. Combine with the Vessel sculpture below and dinner at Mercado Little Spain.